Bailey by KimB

Those of you who know me, know of my great love of horses. From early childhood I adored them. I drew pictures and dreamed of them. Any folk song that had “horse” in it, I made my Mom sing to me at bedtime. We had a record of the song “Strawberry Roan” and I made the family play it over and over that until we wore it out.

My grandfather taught me to ride when I was about 3 years old. We had a great horse named Misty and she was the perfect horse for everyone that came in contact with her. She was kind, gentle, intelligent and knew how to “watch out” for her rider. Misty came into my life several times and she formed a great foundation for my life with horses.

As an adult I had to choose: work or horses. I did try horses for a while. Dealing with the horses was no problem, dealing with the people that owned them was not. I didn't have the knack for dealing with the people. So I shifted to computers and moved on to software engineering in Silicon Valley. Computers have one great advantage: they are not people. Computers don't have “issues” beyond the ones you program into them.

Silicon Valley is an odd place. It's great to work there, it's fun, it's exciting until you burn out, then it's not much fun at all. Corporations have no patience for workers that get burned out. If you burn out, you get tossed out. That's the deal. It's called “at will employment” and that means that corporations can toss you out “at will”. Workers can leave “at will” too but in practice it's rather one sided. People are like barnacles, they like to “stick” but corporations are not in the business of nurturing and keeping workers for the long haul anymore. Their paradigm is:

Use 'em up an' throw 'em away.

When you are new to Silicon Valley, you never worry about this aspect. You think you will be at the Google of the Day forever more. You won't. When the “at will” clause kicks in (and it always does), the excitement and fun disappears along with your paycheck.

When the burn out happened for me, life kicked me in the keister pretty hard. It knocked me down, a long way down. So far down I thought I would never see “happy” again. It was a devastating experience and grinding my way back to “almost happy” has been one of those life-lessons in LIFE. I didn't really want this particular lesson but sometimes you get what you need; not what you want.

As the doors in Silicon Valley slammed shut, I was left adrift in a mental vortex. It wasn't fun and it wasn't exciting. It was more terrifying than anything I'd ever experienced even on the roughest bronc in the stable. I was fortunate, I had money saved up and I had the “privilege of class”: meaning I had access to “help” and “medical care”.

As I began to make some small progress towards “less than awful”, one of the directions I took was an attempt to regain some sense of who I was by revisiting that early foundation and joy in horses. With my good friend Dar, we began a project to find a horse for me. It was the first real attempt to reforge my identity and each step along that path took great effort. Not every step was successful, sometimes the mental vortex reclaimed all my progress but the love of horses helped me regain my footing enough until I could try again.

Bailey came into my life about 10 years ago now. Dar and I looked at a lot of horses; and we settled on Bailey. Bailey is an unregistered quarter horse type mare and was about 5 years old when I bought her. She didn't have any bad habits but she didn't have a lot of training either. We thought I would be able to train her and that was “The Plan”.

You know the saying “Best laid plans of ...”?
So, it didn't quite happen how we thought.

The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,

To a Mouse by Robert Burns 1785

Over the years I've worked on and off with Bailey. Sometimes when things went well, I could do more and other times not so much. Bailey is a touchstone of both hope and fear. Fear of regressing into the that black vortex of anguish and the hope that someday things would be different and that fear would be replaced with joy that only a horse can invoke.

Still thou are blest, compared wi' me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But och! I backward cast my e'e,
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!

To a Mouse by Robert Burns 1785

Recently, I've regained some of my former vitality. I'm never going to regain all of it, 'nor do I look for that anymore. I am diminished but I'm still here and with a lot of help and support I make an effort each day to take one more step and Bailey has come again to pull me farther along that path.

I recently moved Bailey to be closer to where I live. I am working with her again and I sense the enjoyment of being with her. Her kind eyes and whinny greet me each time I call out to her. She seems to not mind too much the “on and off and on again” of our relationship. She accepts carrots and apples with the same good will as she does working in the round pen. Munching on an apple is her way of telling me:

It's OK.
I'm here and so are you and that's all that matters.

And of course, she's right.

Bailey 2015



Bailey 2015

Television Commercial Artistry

I'm fascinated by the advertisement Viking Cruises airs on television. Ordinarily, I ignore commercials, and have several ways of being oblivious to them. I'm adept at just tuning them out until I hear voices indicating the commercial has ended. Sometimes, when the commercial is running, I surf the channels for a later hour program, or switch to the news channel to see if there is breaking news. There is usually enough time to run to the kitchen and raid the fridge for a snack, but if the voice in the commercial is grating and unpleasant to the ear, I just turn the sound down.

When the cruise commercial appears on the screen, I watch from beginning to end. I admire the composition of each camera shot. They really are works of art. The various angles from which the camera records the views, and the changing scenes holds my interest throughout the whole commercial.

The aerial views of the surrounding landmarks are stunning. As the cruise passengers sail curving water ways, winding through pastoral scenes, they are treated to interesting views of historic towns. Landscapes, ever changing, are a feast for eyes and I imagine the passengers enjoying the marvelous sights as they pass them.

Taking a cruise can be a wondrous thing, and there are many lines that offer voyages, near and far, that can be enjoyed. But when I watch the Viking commercial, I can't help thinking what a shame that the passengers will never really see the views that the camera promises. What they see when sailing the cruise line is not what I get to see in the commercial. While they are sailing on water, I am happily cruising the same voyage, but in a concise and more poetical time frame.

Viking River Cruises

The Bear Went Over the Mountain

Song: The Bear Went Over The Mountain

The bear went over the mountain
The bear went over the mountain
The bear went over the mountain
To see what he could see

The other side of the mountain
The other side of the mountain
The other side of the mountain
Was all that he could see

This song, sung to the tune of 'He's a jolly good fellow' has long been popular with children. Its a fun play song that groups of children and adults like to chant together. Years ago when my family heard the song on the radio, we all joined in singing along.

I had never associated weather with the song, but checking its origin on the internet, Wikipedia states the song may have its origin in an old Germanic tradition much like Groundhog Day. When a bear came out of his lair to see if the weather was clear, hibernation was over. If unable able to see the other side of the mountain, it returned to the lair for another six weeks.

Groundhog day is celebrated on Feb 2nd . If the groundhog emerges from its burrow on a sunny day and is frightened by its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If the day is cloudy, Spring will be early.

Wikipedia lists the names of groundhogs that various cities and states use to predict spring. One of the more famous groundhogs is Punxsutawney Phil, from Pennsylvania who is widely televised on all the news networks. Viewers assume his prediction applies to one and all, but not so. The other groundhogs have predictions pertaining to their locations.



Bear

The Bike Shop: You wanna what? by KimB

[Editor's Note: The Bike Shop is a new feature area for the blog which will focus on cycling.]

Intro
Get Educated
Bikes in General

• Road
• Mountain
• Hybrid

Bike Stores

• Department Store Bike
• Sporting Goods Chains
• Specialty Bike Shops

Bike Pricing

• $100-200 Department Store Bike
• $400-$500 Looks Like A Bike
• $600-$800 Pretty Good Bike
• $800-$1500 Great Bike
• $1500+ Competition Bike

Intro

Over the last year, I've learned loads about bicycles and cycling. Cycling has a lot of benefits: it's good for fitness, it's outdoors and it's also indoors. It can be as flexible as you need in both time and cost investment. Bikes can fit nearly every fitness level, and there's nearly nothing that can't be altered to make cycling enjoyable regardless of physical limitations. You can go gung-ho and get into competitions or you can bike for fun and your own enjoyment. There are so many variations on cycling activities these days: there's something for everyone.

One thing that nearly everyone who has not been a cycle enthusiast before will find out: There's more to a bike these days than 2 wheels, a seat and handle bars. A lot more.

As I've been kickin'-the-tires on this issue, I figured I'd pass on the information for anyone who's interested in checking out cycling as a fun activity.

Get Educated

Before you actually run out and buy a bike, it's helpful to “Get Educated”. Do some homework on what you want to do before you head down to the first place you find that sells bikes and drop a lot of money on a bike that most likely won't work for you, won't do what you want, won't be fun and will end up in the next garage sale.

There are a lot of good websites that have basic information and some bike stores and sporting goods shops have "Cycling 101" courses for free or small fee. REI.com, the big sporting goods chain, has regular classes on cycling: some are free seminars and some are fee-based hands-on learning sessions.

Local bike shops often have a beginner course and a good bike shop will spend time answering all your questions and will not pressure you to buy before you are ready and completely informed about what you are getting. Bike shops do a lot of repeat business and they know that once you start cycling you will be a regular customer. They want you feel comfortable and to come back to them if you have issues or need maintenance/repairs. Good bike shops will invest in you as much as you invest in them.

There are some sharks out there too waiting to gobble up your money and sell you anything, so visit as many shops as you can to look at their inventory, talk to as many bike pros as you can to ask why one bike is different from another, the pros and cons of certain types of bikes and their intended use.

There are over a dozen specialty bike stores near me that are privately owned. There are also the big sporting goods stores and department stores too. The amount of information you get from a department store or from an on-line ordering description may not be enough to make a good decision. Take your time and find an outlet that is more than “cash and carry”.

Bikes In General

When I was a kid, I was lucky to have a bike at all. My brother got a 10 speed racing bike, I got a regular bike: the kind with 1 gear that you pedaled backwards to stop (aka: coaster bike). The old coaster bike was heavy, hard to pedal, it was a workout to ride and it wasn't fun. It was transportation but even at that it wasn't very good. I borrowed my brother's 10 speed as often as I could sneak it. It was fast, it was easy to ride and it was fun.

• If you want to cycle; fun wins every time.
  
• Fitness will follow if it's fun.
  
• If it's not fun you won't be cycling very long.
  
• Go for fun. Fun Wins.
  

There are loads of different kinds of bikes and they all have their specialty uses.

Road bikes: have skinny tires, lots of gears and hand brakes. They are lighter weight than other bikes. Designed to go on paved roads and paved bike paths.

Mountain bikes: have fatter knobbly tires, lots of gears and hand brakes. They have shock absorbers front and rear. They are heavier than road bikes. They can go on paved roads and bike paths but are designed to go on dirt paths and dirt trails.

Hybrid bikes: look more like a mountain bike than a road bike. They have fat knobbly tires for dirt paths and may have front shocks. It's an in between bike for multiple uses. Often cheaper than the specialty Mountain/Road bike. It's often the first bike you buy and it's the first bike you get rid of when you find “It isn't fun”. It can be best or the worst of both worlds.

Bike Stores

Bikes come in all price ranges and for the most part you will get what you pay for, unless you end up in The Shark Pool. Good bike stores will help you find the best bike for your money if you explain what you want to do with the bike. Good bike stores will have a variety of pricing options that department stores or chain stores won't have. Good bike stores will work with you and not fleece or scam you by over charging or promoting the “push of the day”. Good bike stores want you to come back; return customers are important for them.

However, be mindful that you can spend a lot of money on a bike that won't work for you. You see these bikes listed on re-sale sites by their owners, hoping someone else will come and take it away and hoping to recoup a fraction of the original cost.

Department Store Bike: usually the cheapest bike on the block. Department stores have limited selections and fixed prices. The bikes may or may not be assembled properly. This is usually the first stop in buying a bike and it's usually a hybrid style bike. These bikes are not worth spending very much money on to fix or upgrade. It can be cheaper to buy a new bike than replace a bent rim. It won't be much fun but often it's the cheapest entry point.

Sporting Goods Chains: the big chains often have larger bike selections. Stores like REI.com have a big selection of all sorts of bikes. Most of the stores with bike specialty areas also have repair shops and classes. They may have sales on bikes but not a lot of flex in last minute dickering.

Specialty Bike Shops: these stores only sell bikes and bike accessories. The often have repair shops and can help modify your bike to fit you properly. Each shop may carry a particular name brand of bike. Visiting each shop will show you which brands they carry. Brand name bikes often have a premium status/cost. Brand name bikes have model years, just like cars, and the bikes change each year. There may be a lot of flex in the tag-price for last year's model.

Bike Pricing

Bike price points will vary by the kind of bike, the brand name, the type of store. Bike manufacturers cater to all interest points and they are in business to sell bikes. If you want a Type-Any bike, you will find it. The main problem with the Type-Any bike is that in short order it's not fun, it's gathering dust in the garage and is the first item out in the yard sale. Buying a Type-Any bike isn't a great investment if you want to cycle for more than a few minutes or on a regular basis.

$100-$200 Department Store Bike: It's not a lot of money to start out with but plan on dumping this if you bike for more than a few days a year.

$400-$500 Looks Like A Bike: A step up from the department store bike but not really by a lot. The bikes will be heavy steel framed bikes and while they may seem to be “just like the bike you remember”, you have forgotten how hard that thing is to push down the road. Clocking in at 30-50 pounds of extra weight you won't want be pushing this down the road for very long. It may seem like a good selection but moving up one or two levels might be a better investment.

$600-$800 Pretty Good Bike: This bike will be a WHOLE LOT better than the previous levels. The frame will be lighter and it will have better quality and quantity of gears. It will have better brakes and wheels. Adjustments/upgrades made on this level bike will have more impact on your riding than the other bikes. While all bikes can have some adjustments, with lower price point bikes it's hard to justify a better saddle when it costs more than the bike does. Adjustments and upgrades on this level bike are “worth it” and move your cycling solidly into the “fun” category.

$800-$1500 Great Bike: If you can hold out for this level of bike, you won't need to “trade in” anything. This bike will be light weight. It might have some carbon fiber in the frame. It will have really good gears and brake system. It's a bike built to be fast and fun. It also has more flex in the price tag if you are looking at last year's model which means you can get a Great Bike for the same price as Pretty Good Bike. Adjustments and alterations here are part of the package. You may need a different seat or handle bar mount and the store will “fit” the bike to you properly. Bikes in this category will need additional adjustments made as you get fitter and bike longer distances. Even a small change can make a huge difference in your cycling experience. Getting a Great Bike makes this easier. Not only is this bike in the “fun” category you may get a few “wows!” when you show up with your bike.

$1500+ Competition Bike: Unless you go into competition, you don't need this. If you do branch out into specialty areas like long distance biking, off road competition or cyclo-cross you will need specialty bikes for each area. By that time, you will have more than enough experience to make your own way through the various bike options.



Hybrid Bike

Mountain Bike

Road Bike

Refrigerator Pets

I have four refrigerator pets. They require feeding from time to time, but I'm forgetful, and to tell the truth, I forget I have them. They are on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, near the back wall and out of sight most of the time because other more frequently needed items are placed in front of them.

What are refrigerator pets? You might very well ask....

Refrigerator pets are live sourdough yeasts for making bread. Since the yeasts are alive, they need feeding from time to time. But keeping the yeast chilled slows growth and feedings can be fewer and far between. I could keep them in the freezer which would stop growth until needed, but I choose to keep them chilled on the off chance that some day I want to bake sourdough bread and I won't have to wait for the yeast to warm up and start growing.

Never having made a starter nor having acquired one, I asked a chef friend if he could find a nice starter for me. He came through with flying colors and gave me two. One is called Gold Rush, and is supposed to date from that period. The other is named Italian. I don't know if that name means the starter is from an Italian sourdough bread or if the starter is from an Italian person.

When I received the starters, I had every intention of baking bread, but as I learned how to keep the yeast alive I put the baking off until later. In the meantime the 'pets' were chilled and forgotten.

I remembered them a year later and gave them each a feeding of a ½ cup flour and a ½ cup water and put them back in the fridge. On occasion I looked at the containers and saw that all was well and promptly forgot about them again. A couple of years passed.

This morning I remembered to feed my pets again. I was afraid they had gone to yeast heaven, but they are thriving. After feeding the starters, I recorded the date on the lids and put them back in the fridge.

So far, I have never baked even one loaf of sourdough bread, but I might want to.



Sourdough Starter 1993
(click image to enlarge)

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

MrsB

Mom's Christmas Cactus

Locally, our recent days have been sunny and warmish. Frosty nights are giving way to an occasional rainy day. The highs and lows of daily temperatures are duly recorded by the weathermen who frequently predict warmer temperatures. But its still winter and I busy myself with indoor activities and wait for spring to arrive.

I have a beautiful Christmas cactus that is at least 30 years old. My Mother had it for many years and I became its owner after her death. The plant stays outside most of the year and I only bring it inside to protect it from freezing temperatures. It was in full bloom over the holidays and now that it has finished blooming, I decided to propagate some of the cactus leaves. I've had success in getting cuttings of various plants rooted, but I had never tried rooting leaves of my Christmas cactus.

Its a miracle that this particular plant has survived the slings and arrows of misfortune to thrive and become such an exquisitely beautiful plant when its in full bloom. There have been periods of neglect when it suffered from lack of water only to suffer the reverse and almost drown from too much water. Careless handling has broken the pot and branches alike. Before my cat, Mimi, ran off with a river boat gambler, she liked to play hide and seek among the branches so that the plant lost its beautiful symmetry. It has taken several years for it to regain its fullness and this year the blooms were spectacular.

If my cuttings root, I plan to give them to any family members that want a clone of Mom's Christmas cactus. Stay tuned....

Schlumbergera
Christmas Cactus or Thanksgiving Cactus

Blizzards

I watched television cameras track Blizzard Juno as it dropped 30 inches of snow on the north eastern corner of the United States. Comfortably ensconced in front of the TV, I listened to the minute by minute descriptions of falling snow and increasing gale force winds.

Over the years, I often heard family members talking about storms and blizzards; telling their experiences and describing snow drifts piled high next to fences on country roads. One of my uncles had a snapshot photo of himself and several men standing near a 20 foot high snow drift.

Some years ago, I had read about the tragic School House Blizzard, and researched it again. Here is a summary of the Wikipedia details about the fast moving storm:

Before the blizzard hit, there had been severe cold and powdery snow, but a brief warming spell allowed people to leave the safety of homes to do farm chores or go to town and just enjoy the warmth of the day. Children went to their one room schools.

The suddenness of the blizzard took people unawares. In the early morning hours of January 12th 1888, a massive Arctic cold front moved from Alberta, Canada to Montana, to Colorado, to Nebraska, and to Wisconsin. It traveled from Canada at 7:00 am in the morning, swept through the Dakota Territory mid-morning, Lincoln, Nebraska at 3:00 pm and Wisconsin at 11 pm that same day. The temperature of the fast moving front dropped from above zero in Canada to minus 20 degrees. Strong winds and powdery snow reduced visibility to zero.

The teacher at the one room school house in Plain View, Nebraska ran out of fuel. She and two nine year old boys, and a 6 year old girl got lost trying to reach home. The boys and girl froze to death. The teacher was found but had her frostbitten feet amputated

At Holt County, Nebraska, the teacher, 19 years old, got lost and sheltered in a hay stack. Rescued 78 hours later, she died during surgery amputating her frozen legs and feet.

In Mira Valley, Nebraska, a teacher led 13 children, tied together by rope, a half mile from the school to her home and safety.

235 people died, most of them children.

The Great Blizzard of 1888, one of the worst in U.S. history, happened later in the same year as the School House Blizzard. Wikipedia details the following about the Great Blizzard of 1888:

Occurring in the Eastern United States and Canada, it dropped 40-50 inches of snow and had sustained winds of 45mph. There were snow drifts in excess if 50 feet. Railroads shut down, and people were confined to homes for over a week. The snow started in October 1880 and followed throughout winter into March of 1888. Snow fell so deep, 2 story houses had snow up to the 2nd floor windows.

No one was prepared for such deep snow so early in the season before crops were harvested, or milled, and fuel supplies for winter in place.

Train service was suspended and railroads hired men to dig out the tracks but falling snow covered them so quickly the work was useless. Farmers had to dig tunnels through massive snow drifts in order to feed live stock.

The deadliest blizzard in recorded history is the 1972 Iran Blizzard. 4,000 people died. 26 feet of snow fell continuously for a week. 200 villages were completely buried in snow.



A train stuck in snow
Minnesota, March 29, 1881

am- o, am- as, am- at ....

am- o, am- as, am- at, am- amaus, am-atis, am-ant

Several years ago while browsing in a book store, I came across Learn Latin by Peter Jones, with the following words blazed across the front cover, 'A lively Introduction to Reading the Language'. On the back cover, comments suggest, (but do not promise) the study of the book's twenty, clear, high-spirited, and anxiety-free chapters allows one to master enough grammar and vocabulary to read the poems of Catullus or the Latin Bible in just twenty weeks.

E gads! Twenty weeks?

That was enough of a 'come on', for me to read the rest of the blurb, but my skepticism was activated as I remembered the agony of studying Latin in high school. The only thing I remember from those classes is veni vedi vici.

The book comes from the serialization of a newspaper column. Charles Moore, who as editor of the British Sunday Telegraph, then of the Daily Telegraph, commissioned a weekly introduction to Latin in the Sunday from September 17 - December 24, 1995, and in a new, expanded format in the Daily from October 19, 1996 - March 1, 1997. The expanded format, and the book, is a result of reader demand.

What! Reader demand? What's that all about?
Did thousands of newspaper readers really enjoy learning Latin?

Thumbing through the chapters, each one being only a page or two, with brief grammar explanations and very short vocabulary lists, I thought to myself, hey, this can't be too hard! Being a sucker for "come on's" and a naïve believer of advertisements, it only took about three minutes to convinced myself that I, like British newspaper readers, could also learn enough Latin to read poems by Catullus. Maybe even read the historical descriptions of William, Duke of Normandy's invasion of England in 1066 which is depicted on the famous Bayeux tapestry.

I bought the book and enthusiastically studied the chapters and carried the book with me everywhere. If I had to wait for some reason, I spent the time studying my Latin. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the studying. Why hadn't my high school Latin classes been as interesting as Peter Jones made the newspaper lessons?

One day, my son drove me to the AT&T store to order a phone. I had taken the book with me thinking we would have to wait our turn, but we were in and out quickly. Leaving the store, I tripped getting into the car. The Latin book went flying through the air and I landed on my back with a broken hip. While we waited for the ambulance, a kind stranger collected my purse and its contents along with my Latin book and gave them to my son.

I've stopped studying Latin so assiduously, but from time to time I pick it up and review the lessons studied and often go on to another chapter before putting the book down. I find it just as enjoyable as when I first got the book. I can finally read some of the Bayeux tapestry phrases. I'm not kidding myself about becoming proficient in reading Latin. It's a fun hobby and I like dabbling in the language. I'm pleased the stranger retrieved the book for me. It has given me many hours of pleasure.



Learn Latin
The Book of the 'Daily Telegraph' Q.E.D.Series

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

KimB

Soon as we all cook sweet potatoes...

It's getting to gardening time again and I figured I should bring folks up-to-date on my potato obsession. Last year I tried sweet potatoes.

When the time came to harvest I stuck a finger, then 2 fingers, then a hand into the pot and got "nothing". Not even a rock pretending to be a sweet potato. Sigh....

So I decided to put something else in the pot and upended my container into a big garbage can I use for this and you won't guess what was hiding AT THE BOTTOM of the pot!

SWEET POTATOES! LOTS OF THEM!

They didn't grow like the taters at the surface, they burrowed right down to the bottom of the pot and even threw roots out the drain holes. There they were, neatly stacked one on top of the other!

We had enough big ones to eat stand alone and I had more than enough to make mashed sweet potatoes for the holidays. I still have enough to cook up for another meal or two.

The big ones I baked normally, the small ones I covered in water with their jackets still on, so they wouldn't dry out, and cooked them in the microwave. Once they were cooked and cooled a bit the jackets slid right off.

And you can certainly guess what's going into the garden this spring ...

Nearly all "sweet potatoes or yams" sold in the US are just "sweet potatoes". The orange flesh colored sweet potatoes are marketed as "yams" but are not "real yams" which are totally unrelated to sweet potatoes. There are more than 6,500 types of sweet potatoes and the sweet potato flesh comes in all colors from white to deep red. Lighter colored sweet potatoes are less "sweet" than the deeper colored varieties.

Sweet potato leaves can be eaten and are a delicacy in some parts of the world. The leaf shapes vary depending on the variety and are generally heart shaped, ranging from a leaf with a single point to leaves that have 5 points. Last year, I had the heart shaped single point leaf type but the batch I have starting for this year, turned out to be the heart shaped 5 pointed leaf type.

Regardless color or leaf shape: they all taste delish!!!

Sweet Potato Harvest 2014

Our Privacy Policy

[note: Editor's Post]

Nearly every website now has a privacy policy statement and not to be left behind, here's ours. It's simple:

We don't do anything directly to track or collect your information.

However, that doesn't mean you aren't being tracked and your data collected. So, now for the unpleasant truths of the internet:

There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. aka: TANSTAAFL.

If it's a "free service" then YOU are the commodity being sold.

Your data, your photos, your life, your kids lives are all bundled, shopped, and sold to the highest bidder: Internet Marketing Slavery.

There's not much you can do about it and new laws coming "SOON(tm)" will make it nearly impossible to opt-out of anything. Even if the new laws claim to provide opt-outs, rest assured there won't be any that are meaningful.

So here's what we can tell you about our site.

KimB Editor

Topics:

• Google Hosted
• Front Page Map
• We don't monetize our site
• Pictures, Videos and Other "doodads"
• Anonymity
• We do not track you
• Suggestions on how to minimize the intrusion
• Option 1: Break your browser
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• Option 3: Create your own White List/Black List
• Exceptions: A Note on Special Interest Groups.
• Sample Black List

Google Hosted

The site is hosted on Google's BlogSpot service. There are Google analytics running on these sites all the time. They track your access, dates, times, operating system, your geolocation and your IP Address and much more. This is collected and stored by Google and they sell this to the highest bidder.


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There is a map showing the geolocation of users on the front page. This is provided by a 3d party site which provides the map. It collects page views, geolocation (hence the map part) and you can presume they are collecting the same sorts of data that Google collects for the same purposes.


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Google provides an incentive to bloggers to allow them to gather more information by placing ads on their sites. For a kick-back payment, the site holder allows the ads to display. Google selects the ads. The ad companies pay Google for this and Google charges them plenty. The ads themselves have more data trackers and predictive algorithms to see which ones you watch or click on, so they can put more of the same on your site.

Again, we don't monetize our site, but Google is still tracking your visits and passing this on to their advertisers.


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We try to use our own pictures or those that are in the public domain or have un-restricted licenses. We don't embed "web bugs" or "1 pixel by 1 pixel web beacons" on the page or in the pictures.

This does not mean there's nothing bad in the images as these things are manipulated on the back side of the blog beyond our control.

Google harvests the pictures similar to Facebook and it's the Google backend the shoves the picture out on the page. Google and others can and do embed "web beacons" in pictures and can place "web bugs" on pages too. This is all out of our control but you can expect it's being done.

YouTube Videos are the property of their creators and many have ads and trackers. Watching the videos embedded in the blog or by clicking on links taking you directly to YouTube may attach more trackers and harvest more information from you.

There are some links to other sites that may have trackers or have advertising. We try to minimize these sorts of links but generally you can expect that clicking on any link that the click will be tracked.

We have one script: the Google Translate drop down box on the front page. This is provided by Google and we added it to allow people from other countries to read the blog in their preferred language. There are other scripts that run as part of the blog service.

At times we have the "fish tank" header or other similar "doodad"; we no longer have these for technical reasons. It can be expected that your data is being harvested from any and all of these add-ons.


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Anonymity

The contributors to the blog have their own "signatures" which can identify them to family members. We don't harvest or collect your personal names or other information.

However, both contributors and viewers are assigned Universal Identifiers by Google, ATT and many other corporate entities as the data rolls back and forth on the internet. These UIDs are designed to remove your anonymity and advertising companies maintain massive databases with cross references just to de-anonymized you.

You can pretty well assume that by now your personal name, address, SSN, phone number, your marital status, your family make up and friends along with a lot of other identifying items are stored in these massive corporate databases. These entities just "want to get to know you better".


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We do not track you

We don't know who you are and we don't care. Our only purpose is to share the history and stories of our family with other family members and with friends both old and new. We publish the stories so that anyone who wants to, can read them. We hope you enjoy the stories about our family and activities. We enjoy getting feedback but it's not necessary. If you get a chuckle or a grin reading about our adventures that's payment enough.

Google and nearly every other corporation with an internet presence, do track you. It's pervasive tracking: 24x7x365.


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Suggestions on how to minimize the intrusion

There are upcoming laws that will prevent you from opting out in any significant way. There are opt-out services you can subscribe to but these are basically reverse-tracking companies and are not much help. There are millions of websites and millions of companies invested in tracking you and they won't make it easy.


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Option 1: Break your browser

Break your browser by turning off things like JavaScript which will break a lot of pages. Nothing better than seeing where they put the trackers when you get that "blank box" effect.

Tracking companies spend a lot of money developing JavaScript to track you and line their pockets with your information. By turning off JavaScript you will limit what they can do. They can still do plenty but you can block much of it.


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Option 2: Turn off cookies

There are cookies you can turn off and there are pervasive/super cookies you cannot. You can adjust your browser settings to block all cookies and allow the ones you select. Turning off cookies will generally prevent you from logging in to websites but it also makes it harder for those websites to track you.


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Option 3: Create your own White List/Black List

A White List is a listing of sites you allow or consider safe. A Black List is a listing of sites you consider unsafe or have policies you don't agree with. Creating this list is daunting but you can block an awful lot of sites in short order. Most people visit a handful of sites on a regular basis and these sites are easily identified by checking the webpage itself for the names of advertisers. There are millions of possible names but you might only need 20-50 for your normal browsing habits.

All browsers have the ability to block sites or allow sites. You have to put the Black List ones in the block column and the White List ones in the allow column.

All browsers have a "developer" option. In Internet explorer it's F12 or click the Gear Icon and select Developer Tools. From developer tool window you can see much of the HTML and JavaScript code running on the page. It's tedious but you can go through the script on the HTML, Script and Console tabs to find the names of "suspicious" characters to place on your list.

As you build your Black/White Lists you want to see things like this on the Console Tab:

A download in this page was blocked by Tracking Protection.

You can ID tracking companies pretty fast: They aren't the web page you are looking at.

ex: googlesyndication. com

You can bet you didn't click on that URL name to see "the news".

There is a list of companies at the bottom of this post for starters. You have to create these entries on every browser you use on every device. Currently there's no import/export option for these lists. By now you can guess why not.


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Exceptions: A Note on Special Interest Groups

Even with all the best efforts you can only limit a tiny bit of the tracking and tracing. You can only limit this from legitimate companies. If you are going to some "weird" places on the internet you will need a lot more than the above. It will not stop any tracking by any 3Letter Agency from any country on the globe. You can expect all your information is being held in Romania, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Canada, Tasmania and any country that has a security service with an internet connection.

You have no privacy or freedom from this group.


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Starter Black List

*.2o7. net
*.adextent. com
*.adnxs. com
*.adroll. com
*.adstream_mjx. ads
*.akamaihd. net
*.amazon-adsystem. com
*.atdmt. com [bundled with IE / microsoft partner]
*.baynote. net
*.big-direkt. de
*.burstnet. com
*.casalemedia. com
*.chartbeat. com
*.coremetrics. com
*.criteo. com
*.demdex. net
*.domdex. com [maybe malware]
*.dotomi. com
*.doubleclick. net
*.dynamicyield. com
*.ensighten. com
*.exct. net [email target marketing]
*.facebook. com
*.facebook. net
*.fastclick. net
*.fbcdn. net
*.fetchback. com
*.fimserve. com
*.gigya. com
*.googleadservices. com
*.google-analytics. com
*.googleapis. com
*.googlesyndication. com
*.googletagmanager. com
*.googletagservices. com
*.guim. co. uk
*.insightexpressai. com
*.krxd. net
*.llnwd. net
*.mediaplex. com
*.mediavoice. com
*.meebo. com
*.msads. net
*.msn. com [not sure this will work]
*.mxcdn. net
*.networkadvertising. org
*.newrelic. com
*.nr-data. net
*.omniture. com
*.omtrdc. net
*.opbandit. com
*.openx. net [maybe malware]
*.optimizely. com
*.outbrain. com
*.perfectmarket. com
*.quality-channel. de
*.quantserve. com
*.redirectingat. com
*.refinedads. com
*.revsci. net [aka Audience Science]
*.rfihub. com [maybe malware]
*.rubiconproject. com
*.schema. org
*.scorecardresearch. com
*.serving-sys. com [maybe malware]
*.specificmedia. com
*.spotxchange. com
*.tiqcdn. com
*.troveread. com
*.turn. com
*.twitter. com
*.upsellit. com
*.w4. com
*.webtrendslive. com
*.wlxrs. com [microsoft ad push]
*.wunderloop. net

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New Year's Resolutions

Some do, some don't, but I usually make them. From my list of resolves, I actually accomplish some of them. It's a game I play with myself because I list things I "could, would and should" do and call them New Year's Resolutions. Sometimes it's a short list and, on occasion, it might number a dozen.

Of course, "the classic" resolves of loosing weight and exercising are number 1 and 2 on the list, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. After a few days, or even a week or two, the resolve weakens and fades away.

Many of the things on my list are things I want to do but haven't gotten around to... yet. I also list things that need doing, like finishing craft projects before starting new ones. I often list things that require study, (a language), or practice, (the violin), but one resolution that I always make doesn't have a name or description.

I resolve to "do something different during the year that I have never done before". I never know what it will be until it happens. I never plan the 'happening'. It usually occurs when I make a spontaneous decision to try something new. One year it was raising chickens and selling the eggs. One year it was having my ears pierced. One year I learned how to knot pearls. Last year I knitted a lot of scarves and gave them to the homeless.

As the year progresses I forget about the nameless resolution, but when it happens, a light bulb goes on and Voila! There it is! Another resolution accomplished!


Resolution Accomplished!

An Odyssey ... of a sort - Part 6 of 6 by KimB

Over the year, I've learned a lot about myself and my health. I've lost a great deal of weight. My health has stabilized, my lab tests are good. My illnesses will never go away. I will have them until I die. I have pain too. My aches are a permanent feature of my life. I will never be 100% pain free but I can be free of some pain. I can now chose which sort of life I want to have over the next few years.

I cannot predict how the FAT war will end up. FAT is a very clever opponent and will work hard to upend all the things I have achieved. I've lost 40 pounds this year – little by little, month by month. My balance is improved and I can now keep up with much of the Zumba class. I can stretch quite a bit in Yoga too and every week I can to a little bit more. I am able to bike for the whole hour and each week I push up that gear a bit further.

There is reality to keep in mind. I'm not ever going to be 20 or 40 again. I won't be able to do so many things that were easy years ago and are now hard. They will remain hard and get harder. My health is stable but it won't stay that way. The nature of illnesses is that they progress over time. Mine are the same; delayed but not halted.

I am determined to make the effort to keep it this way as long as possible.

A few months ago my good friend told me she'd bought a new bike to ride at her ranch. Several times a day, she has to go down some dirt paths to open gates and turn on/off water values and such. She had bought herself a new bike and told me all about the way it worked. It had gears and brakes and adjustable everything.

I asked her to bring it on a visit because I wanted to find out if I could ride a real bike. I didn't know if I would be able to balance well enough to keep upright and there's a big difference in pushing pedals on a stationary bike and moving a real bike with tires and 200 pounds on it down the street.

She brought her new bike and her old bike. She helped me adjust the new bike so I could ride it. I got on and with a bit of wobble I rode down the street. It IS like the adage says: you never forget how to ride a bike. I wobbled about but we went on a short ride to a nearby park and back. I was SO excited. I never, ever thought I would be able to ride a real bike and here I was actually riding one!

I thought and figured and thought about this experience. I looked at it a hundred ways. I had fun. I wanted to do it again. I knew I could do it too.

So, I bought a bike. Not a great bike but an OK bike. I didn't really know much about bikes, my last bike was 45 years ago. I got something that worked for me. I went to the bike store and got the stuff I needed: helmet, head lights/tail lights and a bell.

The bell was a gift from MrsB, my mom, and it's my PRIDE AND JOY. I bike off the street on the local bike paths and I ring my bell whenever I meet up with hikers, dog walkers and distracted joggers listening to their iPods running along the path. They smile and give me a thumbs-up. I say good morning to everyone I meet and they reply in kind.

When my friend comes to visit, she now brings her bike too. I show her my latest trail finds and take her down the new paths. We have gone to the Big Park in the city and biked there too. We bike to the bird sanctuary and check out the wild birds as they stop on their migration routes. We are both having fun.

We have a goal for next year. We plan to bike around the valley floor at Yosemite Valley. There are loads of bike trails and we have maps and points of interest already picked out.

I've shared my plans with my gym instructors and it makes their day, to see someone like me, come in to their class and improve their health so much. My bike instructor has declared she will make sure I am READY TO RIDE in the spring time. She reminds me that a mile is a mile no matter how long it takes to bike it. It's not the speed that matters, it's the effort.

Effort is Everything.

[Editor's note: This story was written by KimB and is part 6 of a 6 part series.]

An Odyssey ... of a sort - Part 5 of 6 by KimB

I could still hardly move and I considered my options VERY CAREFULLY. I knew that I needed to do more physical activity or I would just freeze up again. That POP! in my back might not last. I couldn't be sure what it was even. The doctors didn't know either. I knew that I had to do something but I had to be very careful or I might end up worse than before.

Rule #1 – Don't Get Hurt.
Rule #2 - see Rule #1.

So, I worked on the elliptical trainer at the gym in s l o w  m o t i o n. 5 minutes. 10 minutes. Done. You can't move 210 pounds very far, very fast if you want to keep Rule #1: Don't Get Hurt.

I then did something extremely brave. I joined in a class at the gym. I started doing Yoga.

I'd done yoga in the past when my weight rivaled Oprah's but it wasn't too successful. This time I determined that I would not “compete” against anyone, not even myself. I would honor Rule #1 and monitor every move and modify anything that was difficult or might be painful. I would do what was reasonable for ME to do and nothing more.

I moved my goal posts so far in that anything I did would be a “win”. Getting my gear ready. Getting in the car. Driving to the gym. Walking in to the gym. Going into the class. Staying until class was over. It was all WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN.

It's not hard to imagine what a elephant seal would look like doing yoga and that's pretty much what it was like. I didn't work myself into a lather about it. I did what I could. What I couldn't, I set aside. The important thing was I came back the next week and the next week and the next.

After a short while I could see there was improvement. The scale showed it too. Not a lot, just a pound here and there. It was slow but steady and my health was improving.

I knew I couldn't stop there. I needed to do more. I decided to try Zumba. I watched the class work out a few times and I knew that there was no way I could move the way they did. You don't hustle 210 pounds that easily. I was unsteady on my feet and my balance wasn't that great. I thought this might help and it fit Rule #1.

I went to the class and stood in the farthest back corner where I wouldn't get run over by the more agile members. When the music started I waved my hands around; when I remembered, I moved my feet too.

Zumba was amazing. At first I had a very hard time and wanted to stop. It was so intimidating to see people bouncing up and down and moving quickly. I lacked the coordination to do many of the moves and could barely stand up for the whole hour. But I didn't stop. I came back the next week and the next week and the next week.

Soon I found I could do more and my balance improved. I re-labeled Zumba: “My Agility Training Program” and realized I could make it as hard as I wanted. You do all the standard exercises standing up and moving. The first time I was able to balance on one leg for just a few seconds was an amazing experience.

Immobility gives you a perspective on something simple like that. Things were getting better and the scale was showing it.

I had my stretching and my agility programs in place but there was another aspect I needed to add: strength. I went to the cycling class.

I didn't really know much about cycling classes other than they use stationary bikes. I figured I couldn't fall off a stationary bike so that fit Rule #1. In other classes, I could see people hopping up and down on their bikes and I knew THAT wasn't going to happen but maybe I could just pedal... slowly.

So I went to my first class. I didn't know at the time; it was another moment that would change everything.

The instructor helped me adjust the bike and off we went – visually. I waited for the up and down routines to start but that didn't happen. People just hunkered down and pedaled, so I did the same, although a lot slower. Periodically, there was a call out to “add more gear” and a neighbor showed me the lever to shift the gears. I tried Gear 2 but was soon back to Gear 1. I pedaled the whole hour and was fork-tender-done by the end.

I found out that the class I was in, was a road-racing workout class. None of that up and down, hopping around stuff, just bike like you're on the Tour de France. I bought a padded seat from the sporting goods store so my derriere would fit on the bike. I learned about tempo and cadence and sprints and thresholds and climbing. I had fun, so I went back. Each week I could pedal a bit harder and longer. I could see it in the monitor on the bike. I moved from Gear 1 to Gear 2 and then on to Gears 3, 4, 5. Each week I could see my own improvement and now the scale began tilt in the downward direction.

While Rule #1 is the primary rule, I found that “effort” is an aspect that gets ignored in the equation. Effort is not the same as Pain. Effort is uncomfortable and may make you sore the next day but pain is not part of that equation. You need Effort, to get Health. You do not need Pain.

The adage “No Pain - No Gain” is false. Pain stops everything. If you get hurt, you stop. That's the end.

Effort is what makes things happen. You have to try hard things, to do hard things and make the hard things easier. It's effort that powers the bike. It's effort that moves the feet. It's effort that makes the stretch. Without effort, you are spinning in Gear 0, going nowhere; you're racing the engine but missing the staging lights.

Rule #3 = Make an Effort

[Editor's note: This story was written by KimB and is part 5 of a 6 part series.]

An Odyssey ... of a sort - Part 4 of 6 by KimB

The following is 100% unscientific.
It's my own personal rationalization of the effects of the FAT cycle.

the FAT cycle FAT => SALT => SWEET
FAT	SALT	SWEET
cheeseburger	fries	coke
pizza	bread sticks	coke
ribs	loaded baked potato	coke
sandwich	chips	coke

I like cheeseburgers, I like pizza, I like ribs and I eat a lot of sandwiches.

I like fries, bread sticks, bakers and chips too.

Coke? Hmmm... Coke?

A few rounds of regular coke or maybe a lemon-lime drink that's OK isn't it? I don't always drink the whole thing so there's not that many calories. They all have that High Fructose Corn Syrup stuff. That's OK isn't it?

STOP

LIGHTBULB

INSIGHT

It's not the coke... it's the HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP.

The cycle should really be this:

the SWEET TO FAT cycle SWEET => SALT => FAT
SWEET	SALT	FAT

High Fructose Corn Syrup is sweeter than previous sweeteners like sugar and honey. It's way sweeter. It's in everything. It's claimed that HFCS are just like sugars. Many health professionals claim that sugar, regardless of origin, is just plain bad for your health.

So, I focused on the common denominator of High Fructose Corn Syrup. I banished anything with HFCS in it. Out went the ketchup, the BBQ sauces and a whole pile of other things which had this in the ingredient list. It was surprising how much of this is used in everyday foods. Into the bin it went.

I dropped all the artificial sweeteners too. If SWEET is part of the cycle then the artificial sweeteners are part of this trigger. They may have fewer calories but they interact with the rest of the body's metabolism.

I stopped buying any drinks with HFCS or artificial sweeteners in them. If I wanted a coke I bought the kind made with regular sugar without any additives. I put my own sugar in drinks, not because the sugar has fewer calories or is better for you but because I could SEE how much I was putting in.

The first few days were a bit odd. Mostly from not running down to Mac's Drive Thru to buy the $1 ginormous sized sweetened drink but after a few days I didn't miss it.

It didn't take long for other things to begin to fall away too.

I stopped craving potato chips/french fries. There are bags of Olive Oil Chips in my pantry and I really have no desire to eat them. There's no prohibition to eating them, I just don't want to.

After the SWEET and SALT began to recede I found I had a lot less interest in eating big portions of FAT. Especially those served at Fast Food Joints. I like cheeseburgers but I can make a better burger at home and I put all the trimmings on it too: cheese, dressing, pickles, mustard, ketchup, tomatoes, lettuce ... the works. The ribs and pizza are OK but I just don't find them as tempting as before.

I can eat any of these items; I just don't have any desire to eat them.

I began to lose weight too. Just a little bit.

It took less than a month to go from nearly immobile with pain and dying from FAT, to seeing something positive happen in my life.

A pound less is a pound less.

[Editor's note: This story was written by KimB and is part 4 of a 6 part series.]

An Odyssey ... of a sort - Part 3 of 6 by KimB

I took a hard internal and emotional look at myself and my future. It wasn't a happy viewing.

I was fat; beyond fat: obese; beyond obese: morbidly obese. I was going to die from FAT.

That was how I was going to die: I was going to die from FAT.

Every day I was lifting 20, 40, 50, 100 pounds every step I made. Every day my heart struggled to pump blood into those extra 20, 40, 50, 100 pounds of FAT that was clogging my arteries, my internal organs and hanging on my belly like a boat anchor, reminding me daily that FAT was taking my quality of life and leaving me with bitter dregs of “might have beens”. FAT was dictating what I did, when and how I did it, and removed more and more options with each extra pound.

It was a tough and hard viewing.

I decided I didn't want to die from FAT.

Nearly everyone who lives in the US has dealt with FAT before. We have diets and fads and special foods and special programs to help us deal with FAT. I've been there, done that. It doesn't work. FAT wins, returns and claims more of you than before. FAT is smarter than we are, it knows you will fight for a while and then cave. Once you cave-in, FAT wins and the pounds roll back on faster and heavier than before. It's a war; one FAT always wins.

In the US, the diet food companies and anti-fat programs bet on FAT.

It seems impossible to deal with FAT but there are ways to delay, sabotage and derail the FAT inevitable re-invasion. It takes courage to start and courage to endeavor to make a change when you know that you will have to do it again, and again and again and again. If you don't want to die from FAT, this is what you have to accept: The War in never won and it's never over. The victory is every day there is less FAT than before. That's all there is: less FAT. In return you get more quality of life. Not MORE life, more QUALITY of life.

I pooled my knowledge about FAT and how it works and put my “little gray cells” to work trying to figure out something, anything, that would help me with FAT. I did more searches, I went to FAT seminars and attended FAT Medical Weight Loss program informational meetings, reviewed surgical options and generally came up with... NOTHING WORKS.

It doesn't work. FAT wins. FAT is good business.

At this point, most folks just “pick one from the list” to try to give FAT a shove out the door. I've done this too. You pick what you think you can do and you do it for a while and then you cave. I can't even think of a “turkey roll up” without gagging now. I knew I had to try something “else”, something that would work for me, that I could do without too much effort or discomfort. Something I could make happen every day.

[Editor's note: This story was written by KimB and is part 3 of a 6 part series.]

An Odyssey ... of a sort - Part 2 of 6 by KimB

I was left with knowing there was “nothing new” outside of health issues uncovered a decade ago and those health issues were not going away – ever. I was looking at a rather bleak picture of declining health, mobility, activity and freedom to do what I want, when I want.

When you have to plan an expedition to go to the market, you lose the fun of spontaneous outings.

I could barely face another day knowing that there was nothing outside of a lot of Advil, that was going to mitigate even a bit of the pain, so I decided to try something, anything, to minimize the discomfort.

I didn't know I was about to embark on an amazing journey.

Being assured by my doctors that, even though I had a lot of pain, I wasn't going to injure anything, I went to the pool at the local gym. I've been going to the gym off and on for years and like most people I would go for awhile and then stop. When I was younger, I could do a big workout but as my weight increased and health declined the workouts were less and less.

My local gym is extremely well equipped and has a lap and walking pool. I'd gone to their water aerobics classes in the past, so I decided to try to walk the pool again. I hobbled in with my cane and headed to the pool. I took my cane right up to the edge with me and began slowly going down the steps. I didn't know if I would be able to get up the steps when I was finished. I knew the gym had a disability chair lift available and that they would eventually be able to haul me out of the pool.

I did my walking routine and then headed for the steps. From the bottom, it looked like the top of Everest and the 3 steps were as difficult to me as the summit would be to a mountain climber. I put my foot on the first step and hauled on the hand rail. As I moved up out of the water I heard a loud POP! I froze in place. I wasn't sure what happened.

I took stock of my situation. It wasn't a backfire or gunshot. Everything seemed fine. There weren't any new pains. My toes and fingers wiggled OK. I stood on the step for a moment longer and realized: the pain in my back was GONE.

Getting out of the water with 210 pounds of traction, had realigned something.

I went home with no pain in my back and a realization that I COULD do something about this after all. I could make sure that this “kink” in my back did not return.

We went to Costco and I bought one of those memory foam mattress toppers. Friends had already purchased similar items for their back problems, so I knew that they had some benefit. We lugged the box home and got it placed on the bed.

The first morning was amazing. Not only did my back not hurt but the pains in other parts of my body had also decreased. Over the next few days, each morning the overall pain index was less. So much of the existing pain was inter-related that when those muscles were finally able to relax into a more normal state, the effect was instantly recognizable.

I wasn't pain-free, but I had a lot less-pain.

On a follow up trip to Costco I spotted some pillows with the same memory foam material and I threw those in my shopping cart too. I had no expectations about what such a pillow would do, as we normally use very good “health grade” style pillows.

More than 30 years ago, I'd gotten a whiplash from a car accident. The pain never really went away and over the years I'd sorted out a way to sleep to support my neck and head. On occasion, if I didn't get the pillows “just right”, I'd be in for a whole day of neck pain too.

I was taking a chance on trying these new pillows – it might not work out.

The pillows were hard as rocks and Allen tossed his right away. I didn't find mine uncomfortable and figured I'd try it for the night.

The next morning was amazing. After 30 years of neck pain – there wasn't any. The difference was astonishing. That rock hard pillow allowed some muscles in my neck to relax and after 30 years of “cramp” it was hard to believe that I could have that much pain free movement.

The amount of overall pain declined over a few weeks but didn't go away completely. I still had pain, a lot less than before, but I could deal with what I had. I made a decision that would change my views on a lot of things.

Having experienced what was coming in the future, I resolved to delay what was inevitable and heading my way, as long as possible.

More TIME is not an option in life; I had to do something NOW.

[Editor's note: This story was written by KimB and is part 2 of a 6 part series.]

Happy New Year 2015!!!

Happy New Year 2015!!!

An Odyssey ... of a sort - Part 1 of 6 by KimB

Every year I go through the somewhat obligatory review of achievements and failures of the previous year. Most often the win/loss columns are equal but in some years the columns are more lopsided and I make assertions to “do better” in the coming year.

Last year was no different... except is was.

The Greek epic poem about the end of the Trojan War, the Odyssey, reminds me of my journey this year. The story is full of adventure, romance, awe, sorrow, happiness, obstacles and surprising victories over everyday impediments. It's one that everyone experiences in different ways and continues until the last breath and the last heart beat. Mortality and the Ferryman capture us all, but before the Ferryman comes, demanding his payment, the Odyssey continues.

During the Trojan War, the Greeks and Trojans fought epic battles and the gods were divided about which side should win. The Greeks were promised ultimate victory but not an easy one. The war consumed both sides and at the end, Troy was burned, the city razed, their people slaughtered or enslaved and their heroes dead on the battlefield.

The triumphant Greeks headed home after a decade of war, secure in their victory with the spoils and riches of Troy as proof. They didn't live long to enjoy it.

Nearly every great Greek hero dies before or shortly after arriving home. Their doom is pronounced often but they ignore the warnings. One of the few that return home successfully is the hero Odysseus but not without trials and delays.

Odysseus' journey lasts another decade and there are many obstacles to his return. He is shipwrecked, attacked, delayed, held hostage. The gods fight over his fate as he persists in what seems to be a futile effort to return home. His homecoming is not without danger and he must overcome the effects of 20 years of absence to prove his identity and re-claim his lands and family.

Over the last decade my health has declined – a lot. The effects of illness and the required drugs with their numerous complications and side effects, led to a very large weight increase. Add in aging, with its increasing physical limitations, all made a recipe for “the worse”.

Oprah has nothing on me; I could beat her bag-for-bag in any cookie eating competition.

At the end of 2013, the state of affairs was on the “awful” side of the ledger. I could barely move without a cane, I was starting to seriously look at walkers and thinking of motorized wheelchairs. The pains in my joints and back made even simple tasks an Everest style challenge. I had been through more and more tests and spent hours in the MRI hoping that the doctors would find “something” and especially hoping that the “something” had a reasonable chance of being alleviated/fixed.

It didn't happen. They found nothing new.

That turned out to be “the good news”.

[Editor's note: This story was written by KimB and is part 1 of a 6 part series.]

Christmas Customs

End Homelessness by Marion 2014

A pagan tradition of using boughs of trees to decorate homes marking the winter solstice continued when Romans celebrated Saturnalia in honor of the deity, Saturn, on December 17th. Early Christians opposed the practice as pagan and Christian churches continued the opposition to the celebration of evergreens until mid-19th century.

Oliver Cromwell preached against “heathen' traditions and Puritans condemned the customs associated with Christmas- yule logs, holly, mistletoe, and carols. The Pilgrim Governor, William Bradford, a Calvinist, tried to stamp out “pagan mockery” at Christmas, and trees were not decorated during Colonial times.

Protestant Germans were the first to popularize the decoration of Christmas trees. During the 1840s and 50s, Prince Albert decorated trees for Queen Victoria. Out of love for the queen, the English began celebrating Christmas with tree decorations. In 1851, Pastor Henry Schwan of Cleveland, Ohio, was the first person to decorate a Christmas tree in a church.

The concept of trimming a tree at Christmas is world wide, but there is still opposition by fundamental religious groups as pagan observances. As late as Christmas 2000, the city manager of Eugene, Oregon, ordered no Christmas trees on city property since they are considered Christian symbols.

Hell in a Hand Basket

This is an expression often heard when people grouch about affairs of state. 'Going to hell in a hand basket' implies that the decisions made by those in charge of running and protecting the country are not up to snuff and their decisions are leading the country toward disaster. So called 'progress', paired with disapproval of policies opposite to one's own preference, also contributes to the universal complaint that the country is 'going down hill' or 'going to hell in a hand basket'.

Barbaric atrocities in the quest for religious dominance and struggles against tyrannical governments are aired on TV 24/7. These events have a cause and effect on a global scale, and forming policies that will combat such perverse behavior is frustrating. and never ending. Relationships between nations are always changing; becoming more complex as they vie for economic and political dominance.

There are no easy answers, but one can't help but ask if some policies will solve problems or create more.

• Will we ever get back to a peace time economy?
• Will all the country's adult males be veterans?
• Will all the country's young women soon be veterans too?
• Will NSA ever stop collecting data on American citizens?
• Will the internet ever be totally safe for banking or shopping?
• Will the country ever have protected borders?


• Is the country going to hell in a hand basket?

[Those people] who would rather ride to hell in a hand-cart than walk to heaven supported by the staff of industry.

Elbridge Gerry Paige (1813-1859)
Short Patent Sermons, 1841

Big Talk, Big Stick

Since the public airing of the Senate torture study, comprising details of the horrific methods used to cause human suffering, participants and those who approved the actions are defending the practice. Their hue and cry of innocence and accusations of misleading and false information in the report makes it seem as if torture is not only permissible, but standard behavior of captured enemies.

I'm astounded at the widely voiced approval of torture. To have willingly participated in actions of atrocity considered war crimes, or even having known and permitted the actions, belies what Americans refer to as our VALUES.

Writing Secret Language

I recently finished reading a novel based on the factual lives of women in China during 1820 to 1850, the years of Emperor Daoguang. The book, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See, describes in detail the lives of women, their relationships to each other, their superstitions, religious practices and forced acceptance of worthlessness.

The novel centers around Yao women, descendants of the Yao ethnic tribe who settled in Yongming county region during the Tang dynasty after fleeing Mongol armies in the north. The two main characters, Snow Flower and Lily, record their friendship and lives in Nu shu from ages of five, young adult hood, marriages and death.

Nu shu is a written language, used by Chinese women for over a thousand years, and kept hidden from men. It had been invented by women who were forbidden to learn to read the writing and classics taught to men. Nu shu does not represent a specific word. Characters are phonetic, representing sound. Each character may represent more than one word if they sound the same. Context usually makes the meaning clear, but much care must be taken not to misinterpret the meaning.

During the last half of the 20th century, Nu shu nearly became extinct since the reason for using it no longer existed. Few Nu shu documents, whether letters, stories, weaving or embroideries have survived since most were burned at grave sites for metaphysical reasons. In the 1930s Japanese soldiers destroyed many that had been kept as heirlooms. During the cultural revolution in China, Red Guards burned more texts.

Lisa See, author, of the book, relates an incident in her research notes about the hidden writing. One day in the 1960s, an old lady fainted in a rural Chinese train station. Police, searching her belongings in an effort to identify her, came across papers with writing they thought might be a secret code. She was arrested on suspicion of being a spy. Scholars, who deciphered the writing, quickly realized it was the written language used by women and hidden from men for over a 1000 years. The scholars were sent to labor camps.

Currently the Peoples Republic is making an effort to keep the language alive by opening a Nu shu school in Puwei, a village of Tongkou. The last remaining woman who used and spoke the language died a few years ago, but several of her students and various international scholars who are members of societies that study and preserve ancient languages are also trying to preserve and collect samples of Nu shu.

In the rules governing Nu shu: it can be used to write letters, stories, autobiographies, songs, lessons on womanly duties, prayers to goddesses and popular stories. It is written with a brush on paper or a fan. It can be embroidered on handkerchiefs, or woven into cloth. It can and should be sung before an audience of women and girls. It can also be something read and treasured alone. Two most important rules are: Men must never know it exists, and men may not touch it in any form.

The movie, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, made by a Hong Kong film maker, starring the famous actress, Li BingBing, was released in the United States in 2011.

"Nüshu" written in Nüshu (right to left).